Talking of the high street, there was more bad news in the retail sector with Debenhams issuing a profit warning earlier in the week and at the close of the working week House of Fraser announcing an agreement with its creditors which will see 31 of its 59 high street stores close.

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Big Four accountant got a big slap over the knuckles from the accountancy watchdog for an “unacceptable deterioration” in its audit work.

INEOS lost its legal challenge against the Scottish Government's 'ban' on fracking . A judge decided that when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament that: “Those who, like me, do not believe that fracking should go ahead in Scotland should welcome the fact that fracking in Scotland is banned” this, of course, did not mean there is in fact a ban on fracking in Scotland. Go figure, as our American cousins say.

There was more consternation in business circles at the Scottish Government after it refused planning permission for the Graham's the Family Dairy proposed Airthrey Kerse development.

And it was the week in which the Fraser of Allander Institute warned that some Scottish Government departments could face cost-cutting of almost 10 per cent.

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It was quite a week for Chris Stewart of the Chris Stewart Group with the news that it had sold the Mint Building on St Andrew Square in Edinburgh to be followed the fact that Chris won the Building A Better World Award at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

At the awards in the splendid setting of the Gleneagles Hotel on Thursday evening I learned that the only way apparently is Essex. Quite a few of the entries earlier in the evening inexplicably mentioned an Essex connection.

One of these was John Reynolds of Blairgowrie-based Castle Water, winner of the Rising Star Award, whose accent shall we say is more Braintree than Blairgowrie.

Jeremy Vine, the Radio Two presenter whose alter ego is as a manic events host, jokingly asked John how his Scottish accent was coming along. John's reply was: “My legal advisor in the audience went to a fine school in Edinburgh; my grandfather was expelled from it, which was why I grew up in England.”

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The Essex theme continued when Jeremy Vine pointed out that Chris Stewart received a wolf whistle when he went on stage to collect his award. Stewart replied quick as a flash: “I think it's because I didn't mention Essex.”

It was quite a night with some inspiring and motivating nuggets. Asked how he achieved growth of 500,000 customers in five years, John Reynolds said: : “Think big, think bigger, don't give up on ambition.”

Asked for his advice for a young entrepreneur Lord Willie Haughey of City Holdings, winner of the overall Entrepreneur of the Year Award said: “Whatever your dream is go for it and disrupt whatever you can.”

Asked by Jeremy Vine what gets him up in the morning he said: “The idea that we're out there for 35 years creating employment opportunities for so many people gives us the biggest buzz.”